A romanticized dream sequence ends, leaving the screen enveloped with an angelic whiteness. Our frame is forced back into the present awakened reality. A close-up of a man’s ear fills the space as the man, Adolpho, remains in his last bit of slumber. Crooked teeth and a white mustache slowly encroach on the restful ear. These teeth begin to gnaw at Adolpho’s ear, suspending such a hallowed slumber. Adolpho is floored by such an intrusion and begins to scream, only to find the gnawing teeth belong to his new business partner and producer, Joe.
A large embrace from Joe makes the bed environment restrictive and uneasy. Joe’s mountainous grin is a direct contrast to Adolpho’s skittish and tense morning grimace. “How did you know where I lived?”, Adolpho asks feverishly. “We’re gonna have to break through some walls if we are going to be working together. No secrets, no locked doors”, replies Joe, keeping Adolpho constrained to the twin mattress. Through this interaction, Adolpho understands that Joe is no run of the mill movie producer, but a man that does things his own way.
We find Joe on the tattered couch; his tailored suit distinguishes itself from the chipped paint and broken-down backdrop that is Adolpho’s New York apartment. A binder, containing loose, curled, and untidy pages, rests in Adolpho’s hands as he prepares to tell Joe all about his movie and what it means. Joe waits patiently, cigar in hand and a grin that fills his entire face—ready to hear the masterpiece that will give him his long-desired legacy.
